Sunday, May 31, 2015

The United States is like that pretty girl in high school that thrives on her own self-promotion. But eventually the stardom wanes, the wrinkles take over, and well, its all down hill from there.

The US has a partner in self promotion at the United Nations, an ally in its cheerleading to distract from its human rights violations. Its fellow chum is Saudi Arabia, oozing in oil dollars and with an abhorrent human rights record. Both the US and Saudi Arabia want you to believe that they are standard bearers for human rights. Saudi Arabia even wants to head the UN Human Rights Council.

Of course the rest of the world sees clearly through both the US and Saudi Arabia, and their strange relationship. The rest of the world sees through the theater of these two countries before the UN Human Rights Council. It is theater -- tragic fictional theater.

During the recent United States Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, there were so many lies and half-truths presented by the US that it would take too much space to replicate all of those lies regarding kidnapping and torture, massive spying, secret detentions, death by police, private prison profiteering, incarceration of migrant children, institutionalized racial profiling, rape in the US military, failure to provide services to veterans, targeted assassinations by drones, and violations of Native American rights.

The spin masters were there at the review, including Keith Harper, Cherokee, to try and make it all look good. But outside the United States, where there is not the constant bombardment of US government public relations presented as news, and corporate US media, the other countries can see the truth.

Lakota Russell Means often called these reviews, "another dog and pony show." In the US, there is a growing widespread lack of faith in these United Nations reviews. Increasingly, the UN is viewed as impotent to bring about change in the ongoing human rights violations of the US.

One of the outcomes that was censored by the media was the pressure for the US to prosecute CIA operatives responsible for torture.

The US death penalty, and execution of innocents, and abusive solitary confinement, were also issues avoided in the US media coverage of the UN review. The US media avoided discussions of the US role in child trafficking; homelessness and poverty; and the high rate of rape by fellow soldiers in the US military.

During the review, Bolivia pressed for implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, while Cuba pointed out the staggering poverty in the US which has resulted in widespread homelessness. Mexico pressed the US to halt illegal deadly force by US Border Patrol agents.

During the review, the US representatives attempted to distract from the truth in Indian country. They avoided mentioning the ongoing targeting of Indian lands for coal mines, uranium mines, oil and gas drilling and pipelines, copper mines, and nuclear dumping. There was no exposure of the widespread devastation and disease from mining, drilling and dumping in Indian country. The severe devastation spans from Navajo and Pueblo lands in the Southwest to the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara in North Dakota, Lakota in South Dakota and numerous Indian Nations in the Northwest. The US representatives avoided discussing how US mining companies are responsible for the assassinations, rape and disappearances of Indigenous Peoples around the world who are struggling to protect their homes, families, land, air and water.

The US representatives avoided discussing the unjust and high rate of the incarceration of American Indians in the US private-prison-for-profit empire.

The US representatives did not discuss the decades of spying and provocateurs in operations like COINTELPRO targeting American Indians, blacks and Chicanos, or the sterilization of American Indian women in Indian Health Service hospitals without their knowledge. There was no discussion of the ongoing theft of American Indian water rights being carried out by the US and states with Congressmen. There was no discussion of the generations of kidnapping, abuse and murder of Native American children in US government boarding schools, or the desecration of sacred land and incarceration of political prisoners.

There was no discussion of the fact that the Israeli Apartheid contractor Elbit Systems was given the US border contract and is now responsible for US spy towers aimed at traditional O'odham homes on Tohono O'odham land. There was no mention of the copper mine on sacred Apache land, promoted by Sen. John McCain, that was recently slipped in the defense bill.

The US representatives went to lengths to distract from the imprisonment of migrant children, a violation of international law, and the widespread neglect of sick and injured veterans. Further, rape in the US military, torture and spying were the focus of cover-ups by the US representatives during the review.

First off, while looking at the following Periodic Review, you might ask yourself, 'Where the heck is Azerbaijan and why do they know so much more than me about the United States human rights violations?' See map on left.

Here are the questions of Azerbaijan to the US at the UN Human Rights Council. Those questions are followed by advance questions from other countries.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

As the Santa Barbara Oil Spill fouls the controversial "marine protected areas" created under the privately-funded Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative, Californians Against Fracking announced they will march with local residents at the site of the tragic spill to call on Governor Jerry Brown to stop fracking and "move California off dirty fossil fuels."

Following a disastrous 105,000-gallon oil spill that devastated fish and wildlife populations and closed down beaches, the group "Stand in the Sand" will gather in De La Guerra Plaza in Santa Barbara on Sunday, May 31 at 1 p.m. to show solidarity with local residents and organizations working on the front lines in response to the spill, according to a news release from Californians Against Fracking.

"Members of Californians Against Fracking, including Santa Barbara County Organizer for Food & Water Watch Rebecca Claassen, will be there to call on Gov. Jerry Brown to issue an emergency moratorium on unconventional oil extraction methods including on- and off-shore fracking, and move the state toward 100 percent renewable energy," according to the group. "Carrying a 90-foot long inflatable pipeline, the group will call attention to the governor and state regulators’ failure to protect California communities from the hazards of extreme oil and gas operations."

Friday, May 29, 2015

OAK FLAT, Ariz. -- On Saturday May 30, 2015 to Sunday May 31, 2015 The Apache Stronghold will host a two day camp and conference to discuss the future actions and protection of sacred Oak Flat, Arizona entitled “Protect Sacred Oak Flat Conference & Apache Stronghold Spiritual Gathering.” Saturdays Protect Oak Flat events will begin at 11 a.m. with traditional Apache Songs and will then be lead by master of ceremonies Naelyn Pike and Raleigh Dewey who will introduce Wendsler Nosie Sr., San Carlos Apache and Tribal Councilmen from Peridot District, will give an official welcome and kick off a free concert with national leading Native American artist Nataani Means and Frank Waln recently featured in Mtv’s new series Rebel Music. DJ. ScapeGoat, Che Christ, Indigenize, Standing Fox, and Quese IMC are also scheduled to perform. Each Native American artist comes from diverse independent sovereign nations that are also lending their support in the protection of Oak Flat. The evening finally at 5pm will host the Apache Mountain Spirit Dancers and will give blessings for all participants. This free event is open to the public and all faith base organizations.

On Sunday May 31st Protect Sacred Oak Flat Conference & Apache Stronghold Spiritual Gathering will resume with registration from 7am- 8am. At 8am a traditional Apache Holy Ground ceremony will be lead by San Carlos community leaders and spiritual advisors. At 9am the conference will commence and will feature four tracks of education and action in protecting sacred Oak Flat area. An Art Project in the Oak Flat Camp Site will be a focus on artistic talents and provides a positive outlet for youth and those artistically inspired to share their work. An Eco Tour will be given to participants and will focus on the natural environment of sacred Oak Flat and introduce participants to the land being threatened and under attack. There will also be a Spiritual Tour that will focus on the spiritual identity and significance the land of Oak Flat has to the Apache and other Native American cultures. Apache Community meeting in Oak Flat campground with the San Carlos community will discuss future work and present an action plan for protecting Oak Flat. A free camp Dinner will be provided both days for all participants by The Apache Stronghold organizers to protect Oak Flat.

For more details or questions please contact:

Peridot District Council Office Manager Janet Casoose at (928) 475.2930

Press Conference: Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 11:30 AMKennedy Park, Ramada #3, Tucson, Arizona English and FrenchTUCSON, Ariz. -- On Sunday, May 31st, the twelfth annual Migrant Trail, a 75- mile walk from Sásabe, Sonora will arrive in Tucson, Arizona. The event will culminate in a press conference, followed by a community gathering at Kennedy Park. Approximately 60 participants who have made the seven-day trek have traveled from México, Canada, and more than 13 states throughout the US; they represent diverse international communities that include Colombia, Guatemala, and Palestine.

Since the 1990s, more than 6,000 men, women and children have lost their lives crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The ongoing human rights crisis of deaths along the border is only one piece of the larger strategy to funnel vulnerable migrants into Arizona's deadly desert. Participants of the Migrant Trail walk not only bear witness to the tragedy of death, but the intentional dehumanization and militarization of border communities.

“I could understand this tragedy in our borderlands if our country were poor. But those who make these policies that lead to so many preventable deaths brag of our strength, our wealth, our moral compass. These policies are immensely costly, both in terms of the billions of dollars spent and in terms of our moral standing in the rest of the world,” says Mohyeddin Abdulaziz, long-time Tucson resident, and member of Southern Arizona BDS, an organization that seeks to link human rights issues from the US-Mexico border to the borders of Palestine.“This walk does many things,” added Lupe Castillo, Tucson resident and participant in the Migrant Trail from its inception. “One of its successes is that it brings people from all over to recharge our creativity to do the very painful and yet joyful work we do in our communities with migrants and refugees. As a collective, we can continue to walk in the footsteps of those who have built this movement before us.”The Migrant Trail Walk will begin the final 6.7 miles of their journey at 7:15 am at the BLM campsite on Ajo Way and San Joaquin Road. Participants will be welcomed home at Ramada #3 at Kennedy Park at 11:30am with speakers, music, food, and testimonies from participants and supporters. This event is free and open to the public. French translation by Christine Prat, thank you!FRONTIERE US/MEXIQUE : MARCHE SUR LA PISTE DES MIGRANTS A TRAVERS LE DESERT DE SONORA

Prairie Dust Films and Owe Aku are pleased to announce that Crying Earth Rise Up is now available on DVD, BluRay and Digital Download on our website (www.cryingearthriseup.com). We also offer a downloadable screening toolkit, educational resources and teaching guides to help further the conversation.

Please spread the word to individuals, organizations, libraries or universities to help bring the film to new audiences. We are excited to be on the road with Crying Earth Rise Up and to share it with those working on water protection and energy policy issues.

"I think everyone is America needs to watch this documentary and ask why uranium is still mined? Excellent work you've done bringing this issue to a much broader light." -comment from PBS viewer

Owe Aku works to bring back our way of life which includes humanity’s role in nature: we are a part of it, not outside of it, not having dominion over it. To achieve this Owe Aku works to stop mining that contaminates our water and land. Owe Aku has reestablished programs that utilize the wisdom of our ancestors in combatting the effects of inter-generational trauma caused by colonization and the intentional attempts for hundreds of years to destroy our culture.

In the Lakota Language Owe Aku means Bring Back the Way. In bringing back the way, we strive to offer alternatives, based on traditional knowledge, that respect the changing environmental conditions of Mother Earth, and which will ultimately benefit the peoples and ecosystems of the planet. The environment, upon which we are all dependent, is no longer just an issue for Indigenous peoples. On every continent, Indigenous cultures offer viable alternatives because we recognize the Earth, not as a commodity to be exploited, but as a relative that protects and preserves our very existence and the existence of future human generations.

kaia’nere:kowa, is the law of the land of Great Turtle Island, based on the basic thought and knowledge in how a people relate to the universe. The opening thanksgiving outlines an interdependent system of relations of all elements of nature, which are equal; women are powerful in social, political and economic life; and the people form the base of power. The Great Peace is not a religion. It is our system of consensual decision making.

“Soon, Oren, soon!”

The Code People describe Handsome Lake as a religion. It is based on a hierarchical order which goes against the Great Law, which is egalitarian. Their “creator” is a male hierarchical concept based on the Vatican model. Their longhouse where they “pray” is a church without a steeple. It was designed to create division amongst the Rotinoshonni to overtake the law of the land, the kaia’nere:kowa. They prove it by allowing an agent of the CROWN, Aaron Detlor, a bar lawyer, to incorporate them into the Admiralty matrix.

The corporation of Canada developed another way to try to destroy the Great Peace. Canada promotes and provides financing to the Handsome Lake religion in most of the Rotinoshonni communities by subsidizing the building of their longhouses and programs.

Bill C51 was passed to outlaw the radicalization of any religion. Aaron Detlor incorporated the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Council of Chiefs at Six Nations. Canada’s real target is the Great Peace, our legal form of government. It looks to us like they are trying to class anyone following the Great Law as the radicalization of Handsome Lake.

The kaia’ereh:kowa is not affiliated with any building. It is our constitution and it resides in our minds, not in a house. Our source energy is all of creation, the common denominator of the universe. We give thanks to creation, talk to our mother, to our relatives and no one else. No mediator, priest or faithkeeper is needed.

Oh! You follow the Code! You’re welcome in our longhouse, brother.

Any persons who submit to foreign laws are alienated and subject to death. [Wampum #58].

As REM laments: “That’s me in the corner. That’s me in the spotlight losing my religion. Trying to keep up with you. And I don’t know if I can do it.” [Losing my religion].

Thursday, May 28, 2015

MNN. May 27, 2015. The clan system will lead to the peace. Women’s power is natural. Their role emulates the earth from whom we get our life and energy.

Women’s power was ignored by the invaders to cut our natural tie to the land and to steal it. Artificial clans were created known as political parties. Men were put at the head based on the corporate hierarchical model of the Vatican.

Family trees should follow the mother, not the father.

The clan system cannot be monetized. The corporate party system monetizes everything. The 1% get more from our mother, while the 99% are deprived. Since 1779 the main mission of the CROWN/Vatican is to wipe out the Great Law, kaia’nereh:kowa, so the war continues.

We get our clan from our mother, which can never change. The clans are headed by clan mothers. Through the consensual decision making process our clans come to one mind on all issues. Only the women appoint the leaders of the council of men and have the power to remove their antlers.

iotiyaner, clan mother.

The party system is based on 51% so they can never come to one mind. Anyone can change their party. Voting is secret and counting is done by the bureaucracy. Stalin said, “It matters not who wins the vote, only who does the counting”.

Haudenosaunee Customs: “What’s your clan, m’am?

The women’s council and the men’s council are equal. The clan mothers act as judges and mediators. The party system head appoints judges to the judiciary. The US Senate is the artificial version of the women’s council made up of men. Congress is the artificial version of the men’s council. A hierarchical president presides over both councils, to make sure war continues. The US in 239 years has had 222 wars.

The will is the power of the people, which comes from the villages. They are run by the clans headed by the women. We identify ourselves by our mother’s clan. As we all have a clan and the right to have a clan, and a nation, we are tied to our nation by our mother and father. The women consider all matters first, both civil, political and otherwise. Upon reaching a consensus, they send the decision to the men’s council. The men consider the matter, return their decision to the women who review it. No matter is closed as long as anyone female or male wishes to discuss it.

The mental, physical health and domestic peace must be maintained using the tools in the great law of peace. Gaiwiio is ethical behavior in all matters. Women imprint discussions in their memories, having no writing, to tell their children.

Clans, women’s councils and our fires are the basis of our communities. The rising smoke of our message of peace is seen afar. Decisions are not forced. Every person has a voice on all issues. In the party system 100,000 will give their power to one person for a set time. Our system is based on acknowledgement and respect. Theirs is based solely on money and 51% so war will never end.

When the council of women implement the clan system worldwide, it will shake everything back to its natural order, like the waves will always bring the grains of sand back into the order on the beach. As Muddy Waters wrote and Robert Plant sings: “You know you shook me. You shook me all night long. You shook me, mama”.

Meet the author in Tucson: Dr. Julian Kunnie, who many of you met at the Indigenous Border Summits in Arizona, is the author of 'The Cost of Globalization.' Along with traveling the world from South Africa to China and beyond, Dr. Kunnie has hosted Ofelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, to speak on the brutality of Border Patrol agents at his classes at the University of Arizona.

-- Brenda, Censored News

Julian Kunnie is Professor of Religious Studies/Classics at the University of Arizona. He is the author of four books (listed below). His most recent publication isThe Cost of Globalization: Dangers to the Earth and Its People(McFarland, April 2015). In addition, he has produced two educational DVDs - Umoya: The Spirit in Africa (2000), which illustrates the dynamic growth of Indigenous Churches in Africa; and Black and Brown: An Afro-Latino Journey (2006), which explores the ancient African presence in Mexico. He produced two DVDs in 2011, aided by Veronica Martinez - We Belong to Mother Earth: Dineh Elder and Hataali Jones Benally Speaks and The Global Indigenous Peoples Performing Arts Festival, from Pingtung, Taiwan, following his research visit to Taiwan and China in August 2011.

He has delivered papers and lectures at colleges, universities, and communities on six continents. Kunnie is currently working on a prison research project that interrogates issues of race, class, and gender and is geared toward preventing the incarceration of youth, particularly those of color. He has visited Napierville Correctional Facility in South Africa and San Quentin Correctional Facility in California for his research. He recently launched the Nyakweri Ecological Restoration and Preservation Project with Samwel Naikada from Transmara, Kenya, that is concerned with studying the impact of global warming and climate change on the Nyakweri Forest Preserve. The project trains students in areas of ecological sustainability through practical immersion and living in the Nyakweri forest.

Over the years and during his tenure as Professor and Director of Africana Studies at the UA, Kunnie pioneered/taught courses in Africana Philosophy, History, Political Economy, Geography, Psychology, History of Religions, Racism and Social Change, and Aesthetics of Dance. He currently teaches courses in African/Indigenous Religions, African American Religion, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., and is planning to teach a new course on Indigenous Religions, Buddhism, and Christianity in 2012.

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About Censored News

Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 35 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. Norrell has been a journalist in Indian country for 35 years. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the paying media for 11 years. Now in its 11th year with more than 16 million page views, Censored News has no ads, grants or revenues. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com

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The Rose of Love

"O FRIEND! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold." --Baha'u'llah, Baha'i Faith